10 Sports Figures Who Flipped the Script in 2016
Kevin Durant went from hero to villain in 2016. Tim Tebow went from football to baseball.
Sometimes, a monumental turnaround doesn't take long—just a few months or even seconds. That's just what these 10 sports figures did in 2016. They experienced a monumental turnaround. They reinvented themselves, changed their image or reworked the narrative of their sports story. In short, they flipped the script.
In some cases, the change occurred over the course of several months, and in others, it happened as quickly as a Players' Tribune employee could hit "publish."
As a new year approaches, let's take a look back on some of sports' most acute transformations. These 10 instances just go to show no matter what the situation is in sports, it can always change, for better or worse.
Terrelle Pryor, Released QB to Productive Wide Receiver
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Terrelle Pryor played quarterback at Ohio State. He played QB in the NFL, too, albeit not too successfully. The best Pryor ever did at QB was 1,798 passing yards in 11 games with the Oakland Raiders in 2013. The Raiders eventually traded him to the Seattle Seahawks.
It wasn't until the Cincinnati Bengals released him in 2015 that Pryor warmed to the idea of switching positions, according to Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
Pryor eventually signed with the Browns, and he has become one of the team's primary offensive weapons in 2016. Through Week 15, he has 877 receiving yards and four touchdowns with an average of 13.1 yards per reception.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports wrote, "The NFL definitively passed on Terrelle Pryor. Traded once. Waived four times. Unemployed for nearly three months of the 2015 season. He was even sent packing by five different teams, including the Cleveland Browns who are now seeing Pryor's career as a wideout lift off."
Robinson also pointed out Pryor, set to become a free agent after the season, could command a sizable contract or even draw the franchise tag from the Browns.
Alex Rodriguez, Ballplayer to Analyst (and Disliked to Liked)
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It's hard to remember a time when Alex Rodriguez was popular. One would probably have to go back to his early baseball career, before he signed with the New York Yankees, and certainly before he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2009.
One would definitely have to go back before 2013, when A-Rod's link to the Biogenesis scandal resulted in a season-long suspension and public battle with his own team.
It seems, however, the moment A-Rod stopped fighting was the moment things started to turn around for him. He returned from suspension and hit 33 home runs in 2015. The Yankees released him in 2016 but retained him as an adviser, and it was all vastly more amicable than anyone might have expected two years ago.
In February, Joel Sherman of the New York Post set the unlikely scene like this: "A-Rod [is viewed] as not just the most popular Yankee, but one whose counsel is sought by players and the front office, and whose behavior is praised by the commissioner who prosecuted his suspension, and whose work on TV during the postseason was universally praised."
A-Rod reprised his role as an analyst for Fox's postseason coverage in 2016, and indeed, Chris Erskine of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "…the reviews are in, on social media and otherwise: [Pete] Rose and Rodriguez are knocking it out of the park."
John Scott, Journeyman to Mega-Famous
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Before the 2015-16 NHL season, John Scott was a journeyman enforcer with five career goals. In January, he became one of the league's most beloved figures.
In late 2015, fans began to vote for Scott to compete in the newly formatted 3-on-3 tournament over NHL All-Star weekend. The hashtag #VoteJohnScott took off, and he was eventually voted captain of the Pacific All-Stars. The NHL wasn't too pleased at first, a reaction that only seemed to intensify support for Scott.
At January's All-Star game, he scored two goals en route to the MVP Award. His family looked on as he was carried off the ice in a cinematic scene of glory.
Adam Gretz of CBS Sports wrote:
"The NHL is lucky because for one year John Scott—JOHN SCOTT!—was able to do something that nobody else has been able to do in years. Maybe even decades. He made the All-Star game fun. He brought life to a game that was so bad a year ago in Columbus that people were actually suggesting that the league just flat out stop holding it because nobody cared anymore.
"
And oh by the way, Mitch Albom is writing a script for the movie about all of this. That's quite the turnaround.
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Tyronn Lue, Assistant to Champion
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Before 2016, it's possible the most famous incident involving Tyronn Lue was that one time Allen Iverson stepped over him during the 2001 NBA Finals.
Now, Lue is the head coach who presided over the Cleveland Cavaliers' first NBA title. He is the coach who had the guts to stand up to LeBron James. He steered the ship as all the Cavaliers flipped the script on the history of disappointment that previously dominated Cleveland sports.
Lue took over as head coach in January after the Cavs fired David Blatt midseason. The team went on to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and ultimately defeat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Per Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, Lue scolded James during Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and James didn't take it well. The Finals MVP reportedly spoke to assistant coach Damon Jones about it, and Jones replied, "Everything I read all year is that you want to be coached, want to be held accountable, and trust T Lue. Why not trust him now?"
Surely, James and the rest of the players also deserve credit for changing Cleveland's luck in 2016, but one could argue Lue's coaching was just as important as James' on-court dominance.
Landon Donovan, Retired to Not Retired to Retired
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American soccer hero Landon Donovan retired with John Elway-esque glory in 2014 after his Los Angeles Galaxy won the MLS Cup.
And, as some retired stars are wont to do, Donovan officially came out of retirement less than two years later.
The U.S. men's national team all-time leading scorer re-signed with the Galaxy in September.
He explained in a Facebook post (via Alicia Rodriguez of mlssoccer.com) that his intentions were to aid the Galaxy in the wake of several injuries. He wrote, "I care so deeply about the Galaxy organization, and I believe I could help in a small way to aid the team in its quest for a sixth MLS championship. Further, the opportunity to have my son Talon on the field with me after a game was a feeling that I would never be able to replicate."
The Galaxy fell short in that pursuit of a sixth title, losing to the Colorado Rapids on penalties in the Western Conference Semifinals.
In early December, the 34-year-old Donovan retired again. Galaxy president Chris Klein said, per Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times, "With Landon, when he came back, it was always going to be a short-term thing."
Matt Ryan, Good to Great
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Matt Ryan has been the Atlanta Falcons quarterback for nine years, but he's never really been considered among the NFL's elite, until now.
As part of an ESPN survey on NFL QBs in 2014, one former general manager said, per Mike Sando of ESPN.com, "I think he has potential, but I see a guy that is a little bit hesitant and cannot pull the trigger. From afar, it looks like the more Matt Ryan has on his plate, the less productive he becomes."
In 2015, Mike Bell of CBS Atlanta called Ryan, "a good but not great quarterback who is clearly at the point of diminishing returns for this club" and suggested the Falcons trade him.
In 2016, however, folks have finally started using that elusive "e-word" when it comes to Ryan. Through Week 15, he has 4,336 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and seven interceptions, not to mention an NFL-record streak of 52 straight games with 200 passing yards.
Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said in October, "I think he's one of the elite guys as well. He's had a great year, playing excellent, making great throws," per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Kyle Schwarber, Done for the Year to World Series Hero
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The entire Chicago Cubs team flipped the script in 2016—lovable losers to World Series champs.
There were plenty of notable storylines—from Grandpa Ross' Game 7 home run to Kris Bryant's MVP season—but perhaps no one had quite the up-and-down season that Kyle Schwarber did. Three games in, the young outfielder tore his ACL—done for the year.
And so, Schwarber spent the season rehabbing as his team played its way to an MLB-best 103 wins. He sat by as the Cubs played their way to the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1945.
And then, in a surprise, late-October twist, Schwarber was added to the roster. He got his first hit of the season in Game 1 of the World Series, the first position player in league history who can make that claim.
He went on to be instrumental in the Cubs' victory, serving as the team's designated hitter during away games. He hit .412 in the series, collecting seven hits in four games, including a rally-starting single to open the 10th inning of Game 7.
Schwarber said during the celebration, per Tony Andracki of CSN Chicago, "I was out after the third game of the year. I thought my season was over. For these guys to stick with me and push through it with me, it means a lot."
Claudio Ranieri, 'Loveable Loser to Legend'
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Claudio Ranieri became Leicester City's manager in 2015—that is where the transformation began.
Before then, Ranieri had the reputation of a manager who just couldn't win the big one. Dan Colasimone of ABC.net.au said, "In 30 years of management, across four of Europe's top leagues, Italy, Spain, France and England, Ranieri had never won a major title. His zenith, aside from a couple of cups and lower-division titles, had been second-place finishes with Chelsea, Juventus, Roma and Monaco."
In 2008, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho (then with Inter Milan) famously said Ranieri "has the mentality of someone who doesn't need to win," and added, "He's old and he hasn't won anything," per the Telegraph.
Then, well, Leicester won the Premier League in 2016 against 5,000-1 preseason odds. The League Managers Association crowned Ranieri Manager of the Year, and LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said, per Mark Crellin of Sky Sports, "His passion for football, humility and charisma has underpinned an incredible ability to manage a team at the very highest level."
Colasimone described Ranieri's transformation as "loveable loser to legend."
Kevin Durant, Hero to Villain
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Kevin Durant played eight NBA seasons for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was a hero among fans and a favorite son in Oklahoma City.
He won his MVP Award there. In 2014, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. In 2015, he suggested he might like to stay in OKC his entire career and said, "I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don't really think about anywhere else," per Royce Young of ESPN.com.
Durant was generally well-liked in the sports world. Then, with one announcement on July 4, he suddenly became a villain.
Durant announced he would sign with the Golden State Warriors in free agency. Not only was he leaving OKC, but he was leaving for one of its biggest Western Conference rivals.
The very next day, the Thunder took his poster down outside Chesapeake Energy Arena. The cliche jersey burning happened. Even outside Oklahoma, there was a feeling, among some, Durant had sold out to get a ring.
The Ringer's Shea Serrano wrote, "It's hard to think of Kevin Durant as a villain and it's hard to call Kevin Durant a villain, too, even though that's exactly what he is now."
Tim Tebow, Football to Baseball
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A football player becoming a baseball player is pretty much the definition of flipping the script.
Just unable to stay out of sports news, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow announced in August he planned to work out for MLB teams.
That's right. A 29-year-old Heisman Trophy winner who never quite stuck in the NFL switched to baseball, a sport he hadn't played competitively since 2005.
Tebow denied speculation the transition was a publicity stunt and told Bleacher Report's Jacob Shafer, "I understand how hard this is and that a lot of people think it's impossible. But [I am] passionate about the game of baseball. I love it, and I want to pursue it."
The New York Mets signed Tebow to a minor league deal, and he spent his autumn playing instructional league ball and, later, in the Arizona Fall League.
His performance wasn't exactly stellar—.194 BA and 20 strikeouts in 70 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League—but Tebow's baseball career doesn't appear to be over yet, either.
At the Winter Meetings in December, Mets manager Terry Collins said, per Hannah Keyser of Deadspin, "I can tell you, I certainly hope you will see Tim Tebow in some of our [spring training] games."
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